Did the participants in the White House staff meeting think the evidence was clear and convincing that the North Vietnamese attacked the American...

There are a few ways to look at this question. There is evidence that suggests some people didn’t believe an attack had occurred. There is also evidence to suggest people may have believed an attack occurred. I will share both viewpoints and then let you decide.

There would be a reason why some people believed an attack had occurred. The intelligence report that was presented at the meeting omitted many of the communications that would have cast doubts about this event occurring. There was no mention of US actions in the Gulf of Tonkin. There also was no mention that we may have mistaken the sonar pings they detected as actually hitting the rudder of their ship instead of hitting North Vietnamese submarines. Thus, it is possible people may have believed there was clear evidence we were attacked by North Vietnam because they didn't have all the necessary information.

Some information could lead one to conclude no attack occurred. President Johnson privately had doubts that these attacks occurred. He felt the sailors might have been shooting at nothing. If the President had these views, it is reasonable to believe other people shared these thoughts. Additionally, some of the people involved in the military also had doubts about these attacks occurring. These concerns were communicated with the Secretary of Defense.

Based on this information, it is now your turn to decide.